Happy Sun’s Day

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.

We also don’t take an offering here.  We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it.  Let’s be honest, offerings are not given to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it.  Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: “Ancestors” – Lila Lilly

 

Meditation:

 

People’s time has value.  Learn to respect that and you will go a long way to understanding how to properly influence people without manipulation or coercion. Also by making people respect your time you will go a long way to learning to respect yourself.

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

My focus as I read the book in this first section on Asatru’s ‘history’ was to note at what spiritual concepts were being developed.  As the people migrated but as agriculture also became more prominent. People began to settle but some continued to move around and engage in trade. Governments began to form as a way to deal with human interactions and threats.  In all of this spirituality and religion began to develop.

In all of this certain spiritual concepts and ideas were started and began:

1. The hearth or fire becomes sacred both to spirituality and religion at this time.  The fire was life and progress but also dangerous so it had that mysterious quality to our ancestors that they began to see as spiritual.  Home and hearth develop at this time as more than just nice feelings but as the center of belief in the gods.
2. Various pantheons began to spring up all over Northern Europe and the idea of being spiritually inspired becomes common.  It is the nature of many of the words that mean inspire that also correspond to the god Odin as his name and the root of ‘inspire’ are the same.
3. The number three becomes sacred.
4. There is some evidence that by the bronze age, a trained priesthood existed.
5. Magic as a concept begins and is practiced.

In the Norse lands, you begin to see the development of rituals involving ships, wagons, phallic men with weapons. There is a golden-haired goddess.  You see carved representations and pictures that probably represent the earliest forms of Odin, Thor and Freya worship. Marriage rituals are started here.

The point of all this is to point out that Norse ancestors were developing a fairly sophisticated form of religion and spirituality long before Christ and Christianity.  Long before any of the invasions by the Abrahamic religions.  The people that would become the Vikings, were very much about the hearth, home, fertility, and being courageous in battle.  What we need to understand is that no one was forced into this, it is simply what happened as these people looked at the world around them and tried to find answers to the things they didn’t understand.

Pagans respect each individual own spiritual walk.  They don’t impose their views on others because that is not how their religion developed.  Each person participated as much as they wished in the way they wished.  You actually see this very early on. It is a deep understanding of these ancestors that Asatru takes as its roots.

Parting Thought:

 

What you are is apparent to everyone.  Live your life and the accolades will come to you as you deserve them and who you are will be apparent.  No need to brag about it.  Those that do are often lying.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!